News

Survivor bandmates sue over ‘Tiger’ royalties

The founding members of rock band Survivor have launched a legal action against label bosses at Sony Music over allegations of missing royalties surrounding their smash 1982 hit Eye of the Tiger.

Frank Sullivan and James Peterick filed a breach of contract lawsuit in Illinois federal court on Friday, claiming they have not received the 50 per cent of profits they are entitled to as per the terms of a 1978 recording agreement regarding licensed masters.

They suggest Sony Music executives have categorized digital downloads as “sales of records” instead of licenses, meaning they only need to pay Survivor bandmates a fraction of the song royalties.

The plaintiffs, who are seeking compensatory damages, have also accused Sony chiefs of threatening to remove their tracks from digital music outlets like iTunes.com and are asking a judge to issue an injunction banning them from pulling the plug, thereby protecting their revenue stream from legal downloads, according to The Hollywood Reporter.